Pop-up party 'raging success'

PUMPED UP PARTY: The pop-up bar, which was an inflatable room at Caroline Bay on Saturday.

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Despite attracting six noise complaints, the organiser of Saturday's blow-up bar on Caroline Bay is planning more events, as it was a massive success.

The pop-up bar in an inflatable cube housed DJs and partygoers on Saturday night.

The Timaru District Council received six noise complaints about the event.

Event organiser Sam Heath said it was a "raging success", and all feedback, minus the noise complaints, was exceptional. The DJ from Wellington, and event co-ordinators from Dunedin, rated the Timaru event as one of the best they had been to.

Heath said the event had abided by the licensing rules. It was granted a 2am finishing time, police had checked out the venue three times, and he had only had one resident come down to complain about the noise.

"We tried to work with him, and turned down the volume. We tried to give him our number to call us when he got home and let us know if it was still too loud, but he wouldn't take it," he said.

Heath said he had been involved in events previously where he had modified the sound when it had been too loud for nearby residents, and was always willing to work in with people so it could be a win-win situation.

"I would like to make an official apology to any residents affected on Saturday night," he said.

Meanwhile he said he would hold another event, but would move the site closer to the port.

A report in yesterday's Herald, outlining complaints from residents and motel guests, generated a lot of counter-feedback during the day online and on the Herald Facebook page.

By 5pm the Herald had 40 comments on Facebook supporting the event, with only two against the Saturday night party and four neutral.

An online user commenting as Rebecca Stone said: "So a few people didn't get as much sleep as wanted while hundreds of people had a great night at a concert.

"Timaru needs more events like this. Good on the council for approving it, as for the complaining Timaru people, ear-plugs are cheap.

"How do they get on at New Years Eve with the Bay fireworks."

Timaru District Council environmental manager Jonathan Cowie said noise complaints were treated as excessive as defined in the Resource Management Act 1991 section 326, which says excessive noise is that which unreasonably interferes with the peace, comfort, and convenience of others.